Dry goods

Dry goods is a historic term describing the type of product line a store carries, which differs by region.

Starting in the mid-18th century, these stores began by selling supplies and textile goods to remote communities, and many customized the products they carried to the area's needs.

Such foods could be transported and stored without immediate danger of spoiling, and without the extra weight and fragility of waterproof glass or ceramic containers.

[4] In the United States, dry goods are products such as textiles, ready-to-wear clothing, toiletries,[1] and "grocery items (such as tobacco, sugar, flour, and coffee) that do not contain liquid.

[1] Beginning in the early 20th century, many dry goods stores expanded into other lines of merchandise, and the term largely disappeared from both everyday usage and the official names of the businesses concerned.